What to Expect When You're Unexpectedly Expecting
by Riddle.Me.Harry
Summary: There was a reason why a Horcrux was not supposed to be attached to a living person. Something that Harry and Voldemort learn the hard way when Lily's protection failed after Harry left Privet Drive for the last time. But that doesn't mean it ended up being a bad thing. Harry / Voldemort SLASH and MPREG
1. Finding Out

**Author's Note: **Hi. I couldn't help myself with this story. I know I have other things that I should be spending my time with but this idea would not leave me alone until I put down the first chapter. Story starts in TDH when Ron abandons Harry and Hermione and then quickly diverges from canon.

**Plot:** There was a reason why a Horcrux was not supposed to be attached to a living person. Something that Harry and Voldemort learn the hard way when Lily's protection failed after Harry left Privet Drive for the last time. But that doesn't mean it ended up being a bad thing. Harry / Voldemort SLASH and MPREG

**Warning:** This contains SLASH and Male Pregnancy. Please do not ignore those warnings only to give me flames later on. If you don't like it then don't read it.

**Here is my disclaimer that I do not own anything Harry Potter related and what follows is merely for entertainment purposes. No money is being made. All credit goes to JK for the wonderful world of Harry Potter that she gifted us with.**

* * *

"Yeah, you're right!" Harry said to Hermione, momentarily forgetting the discomfort that had been plaguing him for the last several weeks.

He swallowed back the residual bile that always seemed to be present now from his recent bouts of throwing up and general nausea.

"So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What d'you reckon, Ron? Ron?"

Harry tore his eyes away from Hermione as he glanced around the tent wondering where Ron had gotten off to. He could have sworn the redhead had been here a few minutes ago.

Unfortunately, Ron had been physically quite close to Harry and Hermione the entire time they had been discussing the most likely places where Dumbledore had placed the real Goblin-made blade. In fact, the apparent ease at which his friends had forgotten his presence only made the nagging thoughts that had been festering in the back of his mind worse.

This wild goose chase was not what he had signed up for and the casual way that his very presence in the small tent had been ignored was the last straw.

"Oh, remembered me, have you?" He bit out harshly.

"What?" Harry turned towards the shadow in the bunk bed across from where Hermione and he had been sitting.

Ron snorted from where he lay on his back, his eyes looking at the bottom of the top bunk.

"Suddenly remembered that it's not just you two?"

Ron rolled onto his side and glared at them.

"What, what are you talking about?" Harry replied with furrowed eyebrows. He didn't know where this was coming from and he didn't really have the energy to deal with it.

"You know what – never mind!" Ron huffed out, his gimlet stare belying his statement.

"What is your problem?"

Harry's voice was louder now; he was not in the mood for this given how tired and off his whole body had been feeling.

"Problem!" Ron laughed harshly. "I don't have a problem."

"Clearly you do."

"I don't know, Harry, maybe – just maybe – I assumed that you had some semblance of an idea as to what we would be doing. I'm not exactly having the time of my life here living day after day in this Merlin-forsaken tent when everyday it becomes more and more clear that you haven't the slightest clue about any of the crap that Dumbledore left to you."

There was genuine rage in Ron's eyes and he glared at Harry with contempt.

"I thought you knew what you were signing up for!" Harry roared back, clearly blindsided by Ron's outburst.

Harry moved to stand only to suddenly find that his balance was off; he quickly threw his left hand out on the table between him and Ron to support himself.

The lightheadedness that he had been suffering from on account of not being able to keep much food down during the past two weeks was really catching up with him.

"I shared everything with you that I knew!" Harry growled in annoyance at Ron's antics.

"And I mean everything! Every little thing that Dumbledore passed onto me I passed onto you. What, did you expect that I was keeping things from you and that once we were away on our own I was suddenly going to pull out a treasure map with everything spelled out as to what we needed to do? Are you really that thick headed!"

Harry may not have been feeling that great but he was well and truly pissed off now.

"Ron…" Hermione said in a quiet voice that both boys heard but neither acknowledged.

"I just thought that you knew what you were doing! Hermione and I both did!" Ron was seething now.

"Ron…" Hermione said with a quiet but sharp voice. "Take the locket off. You wouldn't be talking like this if it weren't for the locket."

"Yeah, he would," Harry said without blinking an eye. "And before you begin, Hermione, I know you two have been talking behind my back. D'you really think I didn't notice the whispers ever since we moved on from Grimmauld Place?"

"Harry, we weren't…"

"Don't lie!" Ron shouted. "You said it too, that you were disappointed; that you thought Harry had a bit more to go on than -"

"Not like that, Ron!" Hermione cried. "I didn't say it like that, Harry."

There was silence for a few moments before Ron apparently realized that he had more to say.

"And it's not like things are getting any better… this sword is now just another thing we have to add to our list of things to find. That is, if Harry doesn't keep getting sicker and sicker. Don't tell me the stress of this isn't getting to you. I see you excusing yourself to throw up when you think no one is looking – you've barely been able to keep anything down… probably from all the guilt of leading us along blindly!"

"If things are so bad for you then why are you still here?"

"I've been asking myself that more and more, you know."

"Then go home!" Harry yelled, needing both hands to now steady himself on his feet.

"You know what? That sounds like a great idea."

Ron then felt the need to bring up his family and how Harry obviously didn't care that Ron spent the majority of his time worrying about something bad happening to them. However, he crossed a line when he said, "it's all right for the two of you though, what with your parents safely out of the way-"

"My parents are dead!" Harry interrupted in a cold fury.

"And mine could be going the same way!" Ron yelled right back.

"Then go you supreme git! GO!" said Harry, ignoring the faint dizziness beginning to seep into into his mind.

Ron turned to leave and Harry slammed his fist on the table, not even caring that he was momentarily unbalanced.

"Leave the Horcrux!"

A second later and Slytherin's Locket bounced across the table before Ron grabbed his bag, turning to face Hermione.

"What are you doing?" He asked pointedly.

"What do you mean?" Hermione replied in a hollow voice.

"Are you staying, or what?"

Hermione had a pained expression on her face.

"Ron…" she said while her eyes brimmed with tears, "I'm staying. We said we would go with Harry, we said we would help-"

"I get it," he spit out. "You choose him. Fine."

Ron then spun on his feet and exited the tent.

"Ron!" Hermione cried, running after him.

Harry felt the adrenaline leave him and he slid back into his chair. He was exhausted and didn't have the energy to think too deeply on what had just happened. He felt weak, to the point of passing out even.

But still he reached for the Locket. His fingers closed around the metal and he took a few deep breaths as a wave of relief washed over him. He was still quite tired but he at least had the energy to crawl over to his bunk and fall forward.

He had just turned over to his side when Hermione reentered the tent, her face white and her eyes vacant.

"He's gone…" she whispered to no one before making her way over to a chair and falling into it.

Her sobs picked up just as Harry gave into his exhaustion and closed his eyes.

* * *

The next time Harry opened them was morning, though he barely felt like he had gotten any meaningful rest. His body still felt like it had been stretched too thin for too long and he had no idea why. He knew that something was wrong but he refused to believe that it had anything to do with what Ron had said. He had been up front with them and had actually tried to talk them out of going with him.

The only positive note that his tired mind quickly grabbed onto and focused on instead was that at least his stomach finally felt like it could keep something down. In fact, for the first time in several days he was both hungry and had an appetite.

Small miracles, he supposed.

Harry sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, testing his balance before pushing off the mattress with his hands at the same time that he stood. Then he walked over to what had become their little eating area, passing Hermione who was curled up in the chair that she had passed out in over her grief with Ron's departure. The underside of her eyes were red and swollen and it only confirmed in Harry's mind that the events of last night had actually happened.

Ron was gone; he had abandoned them.

"Of course he did," Harry muttered darkly under his breath.

He wasn't surprised in the least that Ron had tapped out right when the going got tough.

"It's not like it's the first time he's done something like that," Harry said quietly to himself while he moved to prepare some oatmeal for breakfast.

He had just finished heating the combination of oats and water with a heating spell when Hermione stirred in the chair.

She moaned and her eyelids shot open to reveal bloodshot eyes. Her neck snapped from side to side as she took in the sparse tent; it was clear that for the briefest of moments she had been hoping that last night had just been a terrible dream.

Harry turned to look at his bowl, avoiding her eyes as the realization that his first friend really was gone settled in.

For the next several moments Harry focused on his oatmeal to give her privacy. At first he spooned small bites into his mouth and chewed slowly before swallowing to make sure his stomach was ready for food. Once he determined that not only would he be able to keep the food down but that it felt good in his stomach, Harry began to take larger and larger spoonfuls.

"I can't believe he did that," Hermione said with a pained expression on her face as she sat down at the table.

She crossed her arms in front of her and shivered.

"Here," Harry slid a steaming bowl across the table. "Eat."

There was silence as both finished their meals.

When she was finished, Hermione looked up at the empty bowls in front of them.

"You ate."

"Bout time."

Harry raised his head to meet her eyes.

"I… thanks for staying, Hermione. I'm not sure I could do this without you."

She looked like she wanted to say something but when she went to open her mouth nothing came out. So she nodded.

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

"It's not your fault," she managed to return.

Then she took a deep breath.

"Anyways, it's my turn for the locket. I don't think either of us should go more than half a day… we can't afford to let it affect us like that."

She shifted in her chair and extended her arm to Harry, leaving her fingers flat and her palm turned upwards.

Without thinking about it Harry brought up both hands to lift the locket over his head, only, as his right hand began to reach out to give it to her he suddenly began to feel very off.

He continued to hold onto the chain even as Hermione's fingers closed around the locket and began to bring it closer to her.

"Sorry," Harry shook his head to the side when he noticed that he still hadn't let go.

His verdant eyes flickered and his gaze shot from the chain to stare directly at his friend.

"I suddenly don't feel all that well."

A fraction of a second later and his gut clenched sharply.

"Ahhhh!" Harry moaned as his hands dropped to encircle his stomach. He leaned forward in the chair and inched himself painfully to the side so that he could fall to the floor.

"Hermione!" Harry pleaded desperately as his body curled up into the fetal position.

"It hurts…." He whispered painfully.

At once Hermione forgot about the Locket and dropped it on the table before moving around to hover over her fallen friend.

"What's wrong?" She inquired in a nervous fear as her eyes darted over his body, making sure that whatever was causing him pain wasn't overtly obvious.

"My… stomach…" Harry gasped through gritted teeth.

It felt like an explosion had gone off inside of him and for the next several minutes he focused on his breathing while Hermione's wand waved frantically over him.

"I don't know what I'm looking for!" She cried, quickly beginning to work through the few diagnostic spells that she had made it a point to learn during the previous summer.

However, one by one they turned up inconclusive. Though, now that the immediate panic was over, her mind was able to think more clearly as it ran through a list of the most probable causes and if any of her remaining diagnostic spells could rule them in or out.

"An Ulcer," she whispered so quietly to herself that Harry didn't hear her.

Of course, Harry was too focused on the pain to pay her that much attention. The only thing he cared about at this point was that whatever unholy hell had been unleashed felt like it was starting to subside. Slightly.

"Damnit!" Hermione huffed in annoyance when her Ulcer hypothesis came back negative.

She was running out of ideas and spells to test them with.

Just then, however, while Hermione noticed that Harry's breathing was returning to normal and some of the tension was leaving his face she had an unexpected thought.

"No," she said just as quickly before she had a chance to fully consider the extreme and completely unlikely idea that had popped into her mind.

However, as the seconds ticked by she found that her crazy notion just would not leave her alone.

In fact, the more she thought about it the more it explained what she knew about Harry's recent behavior and symptoms… and, technically, it was possible for wizards on account of magic.

No matter how uncommon it was in the wizarding world, it was possible.

Her unsteady hand caused her wand to move in a small circle over Harry's stomach as she whispered the incantation she couldn't believe that she actually thought could give insight into what was wrong with Harry.

"Fetus revelio!"

A second later she gasped as a light blue fog made it all too clear.

"Harry, you're pregnant."

* * *

**The hows and why will be explained in the next few chapters and I'm sure you can take a wild stab at who the father will be. Sorry not sorry, though reviews would be encouraging. For those who care, I'm making significant progress on _The Dark Lord's Equal_.**


	2. The Paternity Test

**Author's Note: **

Wow. Thanks for that kind of response. Hope you like this installment and as always reviews are appreciated!

**Here is my disclaimer that I do not own anything Harry Potter related and what follows is merely for entertainment purposes. No money is being made. All credit goes to JK for the wonderful world of Harry Potter that she gifted us with.**

* * *

"Harry, you're pregnant."

Harry's face snapped up at her. Shock was colored into all of his features.

His mouth opened and then closed, and then it opened again.

"What… but, Hermione – I'm not… I mean, I haven't… how is this possible?" Harry's voice had gotten progressively higher amid his ramblings of a statement. Or a question.

In this situation it was sort of hard to tell.

"I, I'm not sure how it happened, Harry… but it is possible for men to become, you know, after doing…" her voice trailed off as her eyes looked down to Harry's stomach.

Suddenly her face paled at what she was implying, but it hadn't become nearly as white as Harry's face was now.

Who by the way then seemed to sidestep _that_ implication altogether, settling right upon the crux of the problem.

"Pregnant."

Harry said very matter-of-factly, hardly any emotion could be heard in his voice on account of the shock.

For her part Hermione couldn't blame him for the stupefied expression frozen on his face; though, she did take his inability to say anything else as an opportunity to work through her own perception of the bombshell announcement and what it meant for them.

The brightest witch of her age looked upon Harry's stunned countenance with her own wonder, speckled in with a mild dash of annoyance.

Normally, while she loved being presented with a complex problem to solve, this specific little quagmire had come at the absolute worst time.

How were they supposed to look for and rid the world of those dastardly Horcruxes with Harry in this condition?

Despite her feelings of abandonment and betrayal over Ron's departure the previous night, she at least had enough of her mental faculties to realize the small blessing that his absence now provided. Without a doubt she knew that he would not have taken this _little_ development well at all.

Quite possibly, he would only have made things worse.

Those thoughts actually had a stabilizing effect on her approach to the situation at hand.

"This is just like any other problem," she whispered faintly to herself, calling upon the direct and no-nonsense way of handling adversity that her previous years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had instilled into her psyche.

"First, gather all of the evidence that you can and then see if you can make that into a working hypothesis."

There, her mind already felt clearer.

"Harry," said the young woman, "are you sure that you can think of _nothing_ that might explain your current situation?"

Then, as she saw Harry tense and his eyes begin to fill with what looked like obvious panic, she quickly interjected."

"I'm not judging, Harry… I would never do that… about anything that _may_ or may not have happened. I'm just trying to understand as much as I can."

Her voice was much softer now, almost motherly as she tried to coax her friend into telling her something that she had been idly wondering about for a while now.

"Honestly, Hermione," his higher than normal voice was quick to respond, "I'm positive that I haven't done anything that would remotely qualify as allowing myself to end up like this."

He glanced downwards towards his stomach again and pointed, but as soon as he did so his faced relaxed somewhat. The alarm and uncertainty had yet to wear off but another emotion slowly began to creep into his cheeks. Slowly, his hands reached out and downwards to tentatively probe his abdomen.

Suddenly, a most curious expression flitted across his features, one that had both a hint of longing and the barest traces of contentment sprinkled throughout.

However, Hermione also thought that she detected the smallest undertones that told her that her friend had just found something that had already completed and irrevocably captured his heart.

Of course, the sentimental and heartfelt display didn't distract the other part of her well-organized mind that noticed that while Harry had been adamant about not having sex, he hadn't exactly denied that his sexual orientation precluded him from ending up in said situation.

Still, the question of Harry's sexuality aside, if Harry's admission of not having had sex was taken at face value, then she was even more at a loss to explain how Harry had ended up _with child._

Therefore, it was a resigned but still determined Hermione Granger that again picked up the medical textbook that she had brought and over the next thirty minutes committed anything and everything that had to do with pregnancy – magical or otherwise – to memory.

The section hadn't been that long, a few pages at most, but when she was finished she had a couple of diagnostic spells that she felt would be appropriate to test out.

Facing this situation like she would any homework assignment that called for a practical application of the theory, Hermione picked up her wand again and looked at Harry.

Only, as she flicked her eyes toward him a smile broke out onto her face. For there Harry was, cradling his stomach with both hands with a look on his face that indicated that he was already committed to loving this child unconditionally.

That was just the sort of person that Harry was and would always be and there wasn't one iota of doubt in her mind that Harry would want anything other than to keep it.

"Harry," her warm voice got his attention and caused him to look up into her eyes.

His cheeks reddened when he realized what his intelligent friend had no doubt already concluded.

"I don't know much about this sort of thing – and I'm sure that we will have to acquire more appropriate books later, possibly even see a medical professional – but there are a few spells in here that I would like to try."

The seventeen-year-old boy, his messy black hair in even more disarray than usual, took a deep breath.

"What kind of spells, Hermione?"

"Well, there are a few that will be immediately useful, and hopefully be able to help us understand how this all came about."

Harry nodded and she continued.

"For instance, I want to determine the general health of the baby and how far along it is. Of course, there is also the matter of …"

Her voice trailed off; she was suddenly unsure as to how to bring this up. But Harry just looked at her expectantly and she just threw it out there.

"There is the matter of finding out who the other parent is."

"Oh!" Harry's eyebrows shot up in understanding.

"There is a spell that can determine … maternity, paternity?"

Harry didn't know how to ask whether him being pregnant meant that there were two fathers or if in addition to him there was an unknown mother out there.

Whatever uncertainty or apprehension that Hermione had she did an admirable job of keeping most of her emotion off her face.

"I honestly don't know about the gender of the other parent but I was thinking that determining who that other person was could give us an idea as to how this happened."

Harry nodded along.

"And even if we still didn't know the exact cause at least we would have a better place to start."

This was all happening so fast but Harry thought that he was doing his best to adjust to the situation and remain calm. For the most part.

Of course, he couldn't resist the idle thought as to just how many people in the world first found out they were pregnant before having to wonder who the other parent was. And considering that he was still a virgin – not counting the possibility of being Obliviated – he was sure that it was a very small number indeed.

Shaking that thought from his mind, it was now Harry's turn to approach the situation head on like any true Gryffindor would and just get on with it. Though, his first priority was making sure the baby, his baby, was first and foremost healthy.

"I want to know that the baby is okay, first. That seems like the most important thing."

Hermione steadied her wand and nodded, before doing another small wave over Harry's stomach.

"_Fetus salutem_!" She couldn't keep all of the emotion out of her voice.

What if the baby was sick or ill?

A few seconds later though and she relaxed.

"It's healthy, Harry."

There was a smile on her face and Harry exhaled a breath he hadn't known that he had been holding.

"Oh, thank Merlin!"

"Okay, next let's see how far along you are."

This time she traced her wand in a semicircle pattern before flicking downwards as directed in the text.

"_Fetus tempus!_"

The results of the spell took Hermione a few seconds to work out in her head.

"It looks like you are nearly three months along, which would mean that you got pregnant sometime around your birthday."

Hermione looked at Harry with a piercing and expectant gaze.

"Sorry, Hermione. It still doesn't ring a bell… not unless someone erased my memory."

Hermione made a face characterized by a wrinkling of her nose.

"We can explore _that_ possibility later, though I'm almost positive that nothing happened after you got to the Weasley's. However, given the protection around Privet Drive, it's unlikely that anything happened there either."

Harry shrugged – doing his best to ignore that line of thinking by moving right along, even if he had brought it up.

"Well, what's next? Should we do the sex or find out who this mysterious, other parent is?"

After finding out that the baby was momentarily okay, Harry was leaning towards finding out who he was going to be having a baby with.

It didn't matter to him in the least whether or not his baby was a boy or a girl; he wouldn't love either sex any less or more than the other.

"Let's see whose baby I'm having, then," Harry decided with determination in his eyes.

Again the witch swished her wand and this time drew a figure eight over Harry's gut two times before flicking it upwards in a swift motion.

"_Fetus parens revelio!"_

At once a soft green hue began to form just inches above Harry's abdomen in the shape that Hermione had just drawn with her wand. Then, as if a vine was growing out of his stomach snaking it's way toward sunlight, a small string of intense white light began to rise upwards.

After about a foot it split into two, with one side shooting off to reveal a completely see-through image of Harry's face. Harry held his breath as he watched the other image take shape and then for a second his heart stopped.

In fact, he was pretty sure that the entire world had stopped spinning because what he was seeing just didn't make any sense.

"Impossible!" Hermione hissed, causing Harry's to exhale as his face blanched.

The name that left his lips was completely hollow and completely unexpected.

"Voldemort…"

Neither spoke as they stared at the flickering image of Harry and the Dark Lord. Seconds turned into minutes and for the first time Hermione's mind was completely blank.

Suddenly the sound of a twig breaking outside brought them back to the present.

As one their heads snapped towards the shadows that could be seen gathering outside their tent.

And then all hell broke loose.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Reviews are helpful but not required. Chapters should get longer now.**


	3. The Announcement

**AN: **I am going to try to shoot for updates every Friday. I've found that working on this story actually helps me consistently write for The Dark Lord's Equal. Also, very glad to know that you all have appreciated the development so far. I may not respond to all reviews but I read and consider each one, especially if they frame something in a way that I've never considered before. Kudos for making me laugh, too.

**JK owns everything.**

* * *

Harry's eyes widened in horror at the approaching shadows that could be seen circling outside the tent. Neither him nor Hermione were foolish or desperate enough to think for even the briefest of seconds that Ron had returned to them.

These people had to be Snatchers; witches and wizards that earned their coin by rounding up those who the Voldemort's new administration labeled as unsavory in some way.

Which usually meant either Muggleborns, half-bloods, or the so-called blood-traitors, who were Purebloods that had allegedly forsaken the noble dignity and Merlin-given place atop the wizarding hierarchy because they thought all witches and wizards were equals.

Unfortunately for Harry and Hermione, they also just so happened to be the most wanted individuals in all of wizarding Britain and a prize that these Snatchers couldn't have even imagined when the Taboo Curse that Lord Voldemort had cast led them straight here.

Simply put: Harry and Hermione were in trouble and they had to think quickly if there was any hope of escape; or at the very least, survival.

With precious seconds already wasted, the pair turned their heads away from the open flap and shared a look, an unspoken understanding passing quickly between them: it was time to put contingency plan number three into effect.

Hermione was the first to have her wand in hand and she pointed it directly at the table they had just been sitting at.

"_Wingardium leviosa!_" She said quickly and purposefully.

She willed the table upwards with her magic until it was over their heads and then twisted her wand to the left so that the table floating in mid air tilted to the side. Simultaneously, she also brought her other hand so that her fingers were fully extended upwards, with her palm a few inches behind her wand. Then with a swift outwards motion she banished the table towards the opening so that the table's legs were now sticking out of the tent, leaving the entranceway mostly blocked.

It would buy them at least a few more seconds.

Harry meanwhile had not been sitting idly by, for the moment that the table tipped and gravity began to pull the Locket towards the Earth, Harry hastened the Horcux to him with a swish from his own wand.

"_Accio Locket!" _ He commanded from where he was still sitting on the floor.

He didn't even wait for the Locket to fly into his outstretched hand before he turned ninety degrees to the right and aimed his wand once more.

"_Accio Hermione's bag!_"

As Hermione's impressive and feather-light bag with an undetectable Expansion Charm came careening towards him from across the room, Harry let go of his wand, allowing it to fall into his lap, thus freeing up his hand to grab the bag out of the air.

The incineration of the table that stood between their assailants and them did little to distract Harry as he stuffed the Locket into the bag before snatching his wand and transfiguring the bag into a small ring that he discreetly placed on his right hand as the Snatchers entered the tent.

Once the Locket – and all of their earthly possessions – were safely hidden, Harry turned his wand towards the front of the tent to support Hermione who was sending hex after hex towards the incoming Snatchers.

Spells flew about the cramped space in a heated frenzy that charged the air in an electric haze. But Hermione, and especially Harry who was still sitting on the floor, were at a tactical disadvantage.

It was inevitable given that they were outnumbered ten to two, and eventually Harry was just a fraction of a second too slow to deflect the stunner that Fenrir Greyback had sent his way.

The red spell connected with his chest and Harry slipped from consciousness.

Knowing then that she was beaten, Hermione's last act was to ready her wand to send a Stinging Hex straight at Harry's head. Unfortunately, she too was just not fast enough to get the spell off before a stunner slammed into her side and she knew no more.

"Get them!" Greyback growled.

He pointed his wand in the direction of his fallen victims but then something caught his eye that got his full attention. When his team originally had responded to the utterance of the Taboo he expected this to be like any other tagging of half-bloods or Muggleborns on the run… but now he realized they had struck gold.

The ends of his mouth curled upwards in a predatory smirk while his eyes shone with unholy glee.

"…'ello there poppets!"

The other Snatchers noticed the excitement in his voice and Greyback couldn't hold his laugh in anymore.

"Seems that today is our lucky today, boys," he said in response to the eager expression on their faces. "Why, I do believe that this here is Undesirable Number One _and _Two. Change of plans boys, it's straight to Malfoy Manor…"

Their cheers were echoed in his dark laugh, and the combined sound of jubilant malice reverberated throughout the tent even as the distinctive pops of Apparition sounded and the forest became silent once more.

* * *

Harry blinked his eyes open to a most unwelcome sight. For there, on the other side of the expansive hall with dark oak paneling, was Bellatrix Lestrange.

Immediately, Harry growled. "Bellatrix!"

Without thought, he prepared his body to charge at the maniacal woman before him.

Only, he couldn't; he couldn't move either his hands or his feet. The confusion stayed with him for less than half a second before the realization of the previous events in the tent and what that meant came to him.

They had been caught and taken straight to the enemy. Malfoy Manor if he had to guess seeing as how Lucius and Narcissa were standing off to the side with a comfortable but decidedly relieved expression on their faces.

Harry then looked upwards and then to the ground and noticed that he was suspended in the air, magical ropes binding his outstretched arms over his head at a forty-five degree angle. The same with his feet, only spread out below him and bound to the floor.

That awareness, combined with the fading anger upon being in the same room with his Godfather's murderer, allowed his mind to numbly appreciate the impossible position that he now found himself in.

Bellatrix cackled with the look of panic and dread that settled onto Harry's face.

"Hello itsy, bitsy, wittle Potty."

Harry continued to struggle against his invisible bonds while she inched towards him, twirling her hair with her slightly curved wand.

With the immediate shock over he was able to notice just how similar the woman looked to the last time he had seen her. From the way her tight, and form-fitting leather bodice flowed into her fringed dress with knee-high black boots to her half-styled hair that was barely contained with a simple pull back, Bellatrix Lestrange looked like a high fashion model that was about to go to war.

After checking out of rehab, of course.

Her look was crazed but somehow it didn't take anything away from how regal and expensive her overall image projected.

And she knew it, knew that she carried herself as a daughter of the House of Black that screamed how much better she was than everyone else.

Harry thought she had no right to look this… _happy_; not after what she had done to Sirius or to the Longbottoms.

It enraged Harry how unfair life was, and he hated her even more because of it.

"Harry," Hermione's quiet, weak voice broke through his depressing thoughts of grief and rage.

With a quick turn of his head, Harry gazed upon his friend who he saw was bound in a similar state.

But there was only fear in her eyes.

"Hermione," he returned in a gentle whisper.

It nearly broke him that she was in this position with him, that she had that look about her.

And he thought he understood what was going through her mind. He had been in these sorts of situations before; he was used to them. However, it didn't detract from his current state of being in an impossible 'it looks like I'm about to die' situation any less frightening, but it did at least lessen the blinding panic that could overwhelm a person not accustomed to these sorts of things.

Which meant that Hermione's prodigious and capable mind was not going to be of much use to them for the foreseeable future.

Which also meant that it fell to Harry to think of a way out of this.

With that thought Harry closed his eyes and did his best to center himself, he needed to call upon any and all mental faculties that he possessed. If for nothing else than a last attempt to save his baby. And he needed to so quickly because the seconds were ticking away and their chance of getting out of their latest predicament unscathed was dropping precipitously.

Not that escaping was likely to begin with but he had to try something to delay their deaths.

Harry was not one to give up until the very end and that was before he had found out that he had a baby to protect.

Now he had even more to lose and thus more of a reason to fight; he would do anything to protect his unborn child, regardless of whether Voldemort was the other biological parent.

His will to fight was stronger now, and as he opened his eyes a plan came to him.

It was a very _Slytherin _plan and one that he was going to milk for all it was worse. And if that failed, well, then he was sure he could think of something _Gryffindorish _on the fly. When all else failed perhaps he would simply take a page out of his mum's book and invoke the same protective magic that she had done for him.

Anything to keep his baby safe.

After suppressing his Slytherin side for so long Harry wasn't surprised at how easily the right mask slid onto his face. He had been fighting it for so long that of course it was more than ready to play.

"Hello Bella," he stated haughtily, causing the witch to cock her head to the side.

"Wittle Potter _does _know how to play…"

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at him with evil approval.

"I know something you don't know," he teased with a smirk.

From his side, Hermione looked on in horror. She was convinced Harry had gone off the deep end.

Bellatrix's eyes then shone with a gleeful wickedness. She was all too happy to indulge the boy with a little game if that's what he wanted. It was always more fun to play with one's food.

"And what would that be little bitty Potty? Not trying to stall the inevitable I hope; the Dark Lord will see to your death and that of the Mudblood himself any minute now."

The deranged woman moved closer to them and decided it was time to up the stakes. Her wand was soon inching threateningly across Hermione's cheek.

Harry's mask remained firm, even as Hermione was losing her battle to remain strong as the tears were now flowing freely down her face.

"Ah ah ah," Harry chastised, "I'm not sure the Dark Lord will appreciate you harming her. Not after what she has done for him."

Harry knew his plan was risky but if they were going to die anyways than he was sure this was his best bet. After all, he knew Tom and his followers quite well, and was gambling on using their unwavering loyalty and devotion to him to ensure that both Hermione and him remained unharmed for as long as possible. And then if they survived that then he would worry about what he would say to _him_.

All without having to undergo any needless _crucios _that might end up harming the baby.

"You dare speak his name!" Bellatrix screamed.

"His name is not worthy to grace your lips!"

"Yes, yes, Bella, but he will be most displeased to find that any harm has come to myself or the girl. Of that I can assure you. In fact, I can practically guarantee that your life would be forfeited. We both know how protective he can be when something _belongs_ to him…"

Harry had planned on saying more but a look of terror had flitted across her eyes and Harry at once knew that she thought he was talking about the man's Horcruxes. Interesting. Perhaps he had even asked her for help like he had done with Regulus, but instead of betraying her master she had become even more devoted to her Lord.

She stalked angrily over to him and now it was his cheek that her wand was resting against.

There was fear in her eyes.

"What do you know? What do you know!" her screams echoed off the walls in what had to be the grand ballroom.

His plan was working, even if things were escalating rather quickly. But then again, this was Bellatrix and the only way to fight crazy was with crazy.

"Hmmm, I don't know if I can tell you. He is quite protective of his secrets I'm afraid; why, he might just kill you just for knowing."

Underneath Harry's façade of mock concern, and despite her sanity balancing on the edge of a knife, he was quite proud with how much he was getting under her skin. It felt quite satisfying.

Case in point was the way that Harry's words had stilled her hand. There was legitimate concern in her eyes.

And then Harry realized that he had pushed things just a tad too far as her eyes darkened and a feral quality took over her features.

"You lie!" She growled in fury.

Harry was just about to switch to Plan Gryffindor when a new sound filled the room.

"_Bella…,"_ the voice of Voldemort warned from the doorway on the far side of the expansive room.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the boy before turning and greeting her master with her head bowed.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and put his Slytherin mask back in place; Hermione, however, let out a small squeak as Voldemort fully entered the room and glided towards them.

Underneath his mask Harry understood her shock: this was her first time in the presence of the most evil and powerful dark wizard in history – not counting when the man was a parasite to Quirrell. No amount of reading could prepare you for that… or for the sight of the gigantic serpent trailing behind him.

But Harry couldn't waste time thinking about Nagini or any of that. Now it was make or break it time if he wanted to survive the next few minutes. And he needed to if he wanted any shot at ensuring the survival of his child.

By. Any. Means. Necessary.

"Hello again, Voldemort, most noble _descendant_ and _heir _of Salazar Slytherin."

Harry dipped his head with all the right notes of sincere deference.

"My Lord," Bellatrix whispered from his side, "something is different about the boy. He has suggested things… of which I am sure he is lying."

"Yes, Bella, I'm well aware of what he has said; I've been listening the entire time."

She retreated to the side and the Dark Lord continued on, stopping when he was about two feet from his restrained nemesis.

"The Boy Who Lived," he followed just as magnanimously. "I'll admit, I'm curious as to your little performance. I didn't think Bella so easy to unnerve. But surely you realize that this time, finally, you have come to the end? And thisssss time," he hissed, "there will be no chance to escape."

His red eyes gleamed the color of blood and his thin mouth curled into a victorious sneer.

But Harry wasn't deterred; this was his chance, _his only chance_.

"Now Lord Voldemort, is that anyway to speak to a pregnant wizard? Surely, you remember the last time you…"

Harry's voice faltered when Bellatrix's cackles filled the hall.

She dropped to her knees as the diabolical laughter consumed her.

"Oh! My Lord!" She gasped for air. Even Lucius and Narcissa couldn't stop the chuckles that left their throats.

Voldemort, meanwhile, simply had an amused look on his face.

"Harry Potter is up the duff with a bastard child!" Bella cried from behind the Dark Lord, rolling on the ground in ecstasy as if this was the funniest thing in the entire world.

Now that he thought about it more, Harry was sure that their reactions would make his next words all the more impactful. In fact, he couldn't have planned this any better.

"How rude, Bellatrix. Is that anyway to speak about the latest _heir_ of the Greatest of Hogwarts' Founders? Salazar would have your wand for that."

There was instant silence and the Dark Lord would deny the uncharacteristic blanching of his already pale face until his dying day.

With that, Harry dropped the hammer.

"Congratulations, Tom, you're going to be a father."

* * *

**Reviews are appreciated. Hope that was satisfying. Next chapter will be the fallout from that ****_little_**** announcement. Thanks for reading!**


	4. An Unexpected Place to Stay

**AN: ** I think my favorite pairing is Harry/Tom. This story allowed me to write about them because it's freaking taking forever to get them together in The Dark Lord's Equal and I don't want to deviate from the plot in my head to get them together faster because then things will be ruined!

**JK owns EVERYTHING!**

* * *

"Congratulations, Tom, you're going to be a father."

There was complete and utter silence in the grand ballroom of Malfoy Manor. Everyone, including Lord Voldemort himself, seemed to have been frozen by those words.

The silence lasted for about three seconds, or until Bellatrix Lestrange fully and completely lost her mind; her insane devotion to her Lord and Master left her simply unwilling to believe that _He_ would bless anyone besides her to carry his heir.

"How dare you!" she screeched.

There was murder in her eyes.

"Like the Dark Lord would ever consider _you _worthy to carry … his … his heir!" her voice trembled with nearly uncontrollable rage.

Her fragile mind couldn't accept that the seed of her master was in another; it had to be a lie, and one that she would punish with death.

Harry had only a fraction of a section to register the sudden change in her stance that was accompanied by the vicious slashing of her wand through the air; however, before she could complete the specific and complex wand motion that accompanied her intended, and quite deadly curse, Voldemort's hand reached out to the side and clamped down on her wand arm.

"Bella," was all he needed to say to still her into inaction while he continued to glare at the boy.

His dark red eyes had an unreadable expression behind them. As if he were waking from a terrible dream his eyes looked up and down the boy, trying to make sense of reality again.

Surely there had to be a mistake? The Dark Lord was quite sure he would have remembered bedding the Boy Who Lived. Or performing any of the other dark and arcane alternatives necessary to result in a pregnancy between two males.

The Dark Lord needed to get to the bottom of this mystery.

In a swift motion, it was now his wand that was pointed at the young wizard's stomach. Harry hadn't yet recovered from Bellatrix's attempted assault and so his eyes had only a fraction of a second to register the new threat.

In fact, the fear in his eyes left over from Bellatrix only grew as he wondered what sort of spell was about to be cast, a spell that he would again be defenseless from stopping. His heart was beating so forcefully that he was sure it was going to burst.

'_Fetus revelio!'_ The Dark Lord commanded in a near whisper.

Both Harry and Hermione recognized the familiar shape Voldemort's wand had drawn and so by the time that the familiar-colored spell hit his stomach he breathed a sigh of relief. He should have expected that the Dark Lord would want to see for himself whether or not his words had been true.

The pounding in his chest lessened as the image of his tiny child appeared in front of his chest. Harry was so fixated on that image that he missed the sharp intake of air from the others in the room.

Apparently, they had expected his statement to have been an attempt to unbalance them.

Which told Harry what the next likely spell to be wordlessly cast would be. Indeed, seconds later and the Paternity Charm confirmed loud and clear the completely unexpected turn of events.

Voldemort's mouth uncharacteristically parted in disbelief in response to the appearance of a side-by-side image of himself and the Boy Who Lived where only moments before the see-through likeness of his fetus had been. Even the man's wand was stilled in a frozen silence in response to seeing what he hadn't believed was possible.

But _somehow_, the impossible had been achieved: he, Lord Voldemort, was going to be a father. And with Harry Potter of all people. The Dark Lord needed a moment – or several – to take it all in.

Nagini's tongue, meanwhile, licked at the air from were she was coiled next her master.

"How is this possible?" The quivering voice of Lucius Malfoy sounded from he stood next to his wife.

Both of them had identical looks of shocks that had completely broken through their otherwise perfect and aristocratic features.

But no one answered him.

"What kind of dark magic is this?" Bellatrix hissed out, seemingly unaware of the supreme irony of her words.

No one answered her, either.

Amidst the silence, Harry's tired eyes focused on searching for the slightest sign of trouble. Not that he could have done much but it gave him something to occupy his mind, making him feel like he was making up for his earlier lapse in concentration where Bellatrix had almost cursed him.

Then, as if Voldemort had made up his mind, his wand arm stirred again, and this time Harry was prepared to launch Plan Gryffindor; but the sound of his intended pleading died on his lips when the Dark Lord's spell shot off to the side and behind him. Clearly, it was not meant for him.

Instantly, Bellatrix, Lucius, and Narcissa dropped to the floor, unconscious.

At this point, Harry congratulated himself on making it through the first round unscathed. Unfortunately, he was now firmly in what he considered to be round two, which meant that for his baby to have a chance, he needed to now convince the greatest Dark Lord who had ever lived to show mercy and let them live. One that in Harry's experience was not known for his sanity or rational thinking.

"Explain!" Commanded the Dark Lord, like he was reading his mind.

His crimson eyes bore deeply in the verdant green of how Harry saw the world.

Harry swallowed the bile rising in his throat, his thoughts instead centering on needing to protect his baby in an attempt to control his emotions.

It was now or never: Operation Slytherin to start with Plan Gryffindor as a fallback.

"I have no idea how this happened… I can assure you that this wasn't planned," Harry began quickly.

"I'd been feeling off for the last few weeks; not being able to keep much food down or having all that much of an appetite, really. Then, earlier today or yesterday… we don't really know how long we've been here…"

Harry paused to see if Voldemort would add anything but the man just looked at him, and Harry had the distinct impression that if the man had eyebrows that one of them would have been raised dramatically.

So Harry just got back right to the salient points, lest he risk annoying Voldemort with unwanted details.

"But then something happened, my stomach began to hurt terribly; the pain was unlike anything I'd ever felt before."

Harry gave a quick glance to Hermione.

"And she was the one that gave me a look over and ultimately put two and two together and discovered that I was pregnant."

Harry said the next part slowly, for emphasis.

"After the initial shock – because it sure as hell came as one to us – our first priority was in making sure the baby was healthy, which it is you'll be happy to know. Then we discovered that I'm three months along, again with no idea as to how any of this happened. And then we found out who the other parent was and that's where you come in. To think, the baby is a descendant of both Salazar Slytherin and the mighty Lord Voldemort."

Harry was laying it on thick and he didn't care that the Dark Lord remained apparently unaffected and silent.

"And then the Snatchers came and caught us and now you know as much about the baby as we do."

But Harry wasn't finished; far from it, in fact.

Maybe he was caught up in the moment and his Gryffindor side was bored; or, maybe, his Slytherin side knew that to be the most effective, he wanted to make sure that he got a chance to say everything that he wanted to say. Merlin knew if he would ever get this opportunity again.

"And don't you think for a moment that I will let you do anything to the baby. I don't care that your wand is pointed at me and I am defenseless and tied down. As you… very… well… remember, my mum didn't need one either the night you came for me in Godric's Hallow."

At his side, Hermione could hardly believe the sudden change in Harry's demeanor. As time had gone on since awaking in Malfoy Manor and her nerves calmed she began to understand the angle that Harry was playing to give them a chance at leaving here alive. But now Harry was threatening He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and she didn't know why. She could only continue to watch with a gaped expression. Though, since she was only watching Harry from the side, she wasn't getting the full effect of his performance.

But the Dark Lord was looking directly at Harry and could practically taste the magic swirling in the air. Aside from the young man's forceful words, green eyes the color of death began to bore into his soul. It was strangely erotic and his skin began to tingle.

"I will not let you harm this child!" Harry's voice continued with a steely certainty, a voice that Voldemort knew from prior experience was laced with magic. In fact, it brought him back to that infamous night nearly sixteen years ago.

"I invoke whatever my mum did, I offer myself in the child's place. And so help me that if you strike me down you will lose your body once more. So if you take me, you will take yourself. I swear that on my life and magic!"

And Voldemort believed him. How could he not when the color of Harry's eyes, so much like his favorite curse reminded him of the worse night of his life. For the second time in a few short minutes, this young wizard had given him pause.

Not that finding out he was suddenly in the position to be a father hadn't already had him proceeding with caution. But now he had even more of a reason to take things slower and fully consider the options before him.

It wasn't like the brat would be going anywhere.

During the Dark Lord's internal deliberation, Harry's eyes settled back into their normal color. Even though his main thoughts were to protect his child; he was unusually weak from the lack of sustenance over the past weeks and was quickly reaching the limit of what his magic could support or accomplish.

It made him tired, and also very hungry.

So hungry, in fact, that after knowing he had done everything he could have possibly done to save his unborn child he was cranky, otherwise known as hangry.

Thankfully, before Harry had a chance to say anything that would have negated his masterful performance in staying Lord Voldemort's wand, the Dark Lord had come to a decision.

"Very well, Potter," he stated simply.

The next moment a swish of his wand had freed Harry and Hermione from their bonds. Though, they didn't fall to the floor as gravity would have like but rather gently floated down until their feet had found a proper footing.

Curious at the rare thoughtfulness that her master had just showed, Nagini looked from her Lord to the vessel that housed her master's youngling. There was something going on there and after a few flicks of her tongue, what counted as an amused expression settled onto her face. The great serpent was most definitely intrigued if she were reading her master correctly, and she was sure that she was. After all, she knew him better than anyone.

Harry and Hermione barely had the opportunity to consider their freeing when seconds later Nagini's suspicions were confirmed as all four of them suddenly Apparated to a spot just outside of the wards of the Dark Lord's home.

Of course, Harry and Hermione didn't know this. They were still reeling from not being killed inside Malfoy Manor and the sudden and distinct smell of being outside was something that they certainly hadn't expected to experience again.

"Watch them," the Dark Lord commanded Nagini before he turned and disappeared on the spot.

Before either Harry or Hermione knew what hit them they felt the heavy scales of the giant serpent coiling around their bodies.

"_Nagini will make sure the bearer of Master's youngling and his… friend… remain right where master left them…" _the snake purred in a hiss that only Harry understood.

The sound of Parseltongue from someone other than Harry caused the hairs on Hermione's arm to stand straight up. Which didn't help her current attempts at not panicking over the powerful hold from the snake's thick body that held her firmly in place. As it was she was dangerously close to falling off the proverbial edge; the only sound that kept her rooted was the calm and rhythmic breathing from Harry.

He at least wasn't outwardly freaking out and she held onto that.

In fact, she was just about to force Harry to distract her with mindless chatter when the Dark Lord reappeared with a distinct _pop_.

He smiled at Nagini and she began to unwrap herself from her hostages, freeing Harry and Hermione to more easily hold onto one another for support.

"Now then," Voldemort said to the pair, pointing his wand at each of them in turn.

A faint red light began to glow when it connected with them and then the Dark Lord waved his wand to a spot on the other side of him. The red light then dissipated into the air, causing a distinct set of ripples to appear beside them that Hermione realized at once signaled the presence of wards.

Wards that they had just been keyed into.

"If you'll follow me."

The Dark Lord turned after his clipped statement, trusting that Nagini would take up the rear without a single glance.

The young witch and wizard followed cautiously, continuing to hold hands with the deadly snake slithering behind.

"Where are you taking …" the words died on Harry's lips as they entered a clearing and gazed upon Hogwarts.

Only, it was much too small to be the castle that Harry had considered to be the first place that had become more than simply somewhere to sleep.

"Hogwarts?" Hermione gasped upon catching her breath.

"No, this is my home. My _personal_ place of residence."

The Dark Lord looked fondly on that which he had used his extraordinary magic to raise from the ground.

At the same time, he couldn't believe that he had revealed such a thing to the Boy Who Lived… and his Muggleborn _associate_. Then again, he didn't have anywhere else to put them that would keep them hidden, that would keep his heir…

"Do the Death Eaters know this place exists?" Harry asked without thought, making Voldemort narrow his eyes at the boy.

If it had been anyone else they would have been dead by now, but there was some part of the Dark Lord that valued the boy's brazenness. He always had, to be honest.

"No one aside from myself and Nagini are aware of this place or can enter… not with the wards that I have set up. Speaking of which," he again pointed his wand at each of them, causing a dark black bracelet to appear on their wrists.

"You are now unable to leave." He finished with a deadly grin before turning and walking toward the castle.

Harry and Hermione could only stare after him, fingering the bracelets that now made them prisoners.

Though, with an _encouraging_ hiss from Nagini they quickly found their footing again and hurried off after the Dark Lord.

Nothing else was said until they walked through an exact replica – albeit much smaller – of the main Hogwarts' entrance.

"The precision to detail is amazing; such exquisite spell work!" Hermione gushed out-loud with what had _intended_ to be a silent observation.

And then she realized she had in fact complimented her captor and the killer of her best friend's parents and her face reddened.

But Harry was right there with her as his gaze noticed that the inside was as much the same as the outside; the resemblance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was uncanny.

It was clear to Harry that Albus Dumbledore had severely underestimated how attached Tom Riddle had been to the castle. Suddenly, an uncomfortable feeling, one that had nothing to do with the baby, hit Harry's stomach.

It was too complex for him to put into words but Harry understood the Dark Lord's attachment, his inability to let go with the warm and comforting nostalgia of the past.

Of course, Harry kept his observation to himself and simply followed quietly as Voldemort led them up along an all too familiar path. Soon, they were standing outside what had to be this place's version of the Gryffindor dorms.

"These will be your _accommodations_ while you are here." The person formerly known as Tom Riddle gestured.

"Inside, you will find everything you need for the next few months. Tizzy!" He summoned with a serious if not bored expression.

An elf popped into view and immediately knelt down in front of her master.

"Yes, Master, what can Tizzy do for you."

The obsequious elf was bowing so low her nose was touching the floor.

"You will watch over these two, making sure they have everything they need over the next few months. You are to obey them as you would me with the exception that they cannot leave the boundaries of the wards or inform anyone as to where they are or what happened to them. In fact, they are not to contact the outside world."

"Yes, Master, Tizzy will be a good elf and carry out Master's wishes."

Hermione looked like she wanted to say something about SPEW but she kept her mouth shut when the Dark Lord gave her a _look._

_"_And you, Miss Granger… you will be responsible for the health of the baby, the health of my heir. Do I even need to inform you what would happen should harm come to my _heir_… or the one carrying it?"

His glare was deadly and it was quite clear in her mind that failure was not an option.

"No," she squeaked.

Then the Dark Lord turned and began to walk away, Nagini sliding smoothly over the stone floor at his side.

"This way masters," the elf spoke quickly, leading them inside.

Harry wasn't surprised that the identical resemblance continued on; his main thoughts were simply focused on the fact that Voldemort, his mortal enemy, had not struck him down. Somehow, him and his baby had been allowed to keep living.

It didn't matter that he was now a prisoner in the Dark Lord's home. His baby had a chance and that was the only thing that mattered.

* * *

**Reviews are appreciated. Hope that was satisfying. Next chapter will see Harry and Hermione exploring their new digs. Oh, and Tom makes an appearance too!**


	5. A Shocking Realization

**AN**: Sorry for the delays… I do have a job that pays money (and requires a shit ton of international travel) and a husband that requires I pay some attention to him. I do try to get these out as fast as I can (fully acknowledging that I have multiple stories and my attention span never seems to stay on one story for very long).

JK owns EVERYTHING!

* * *

Harry blinked his tired eyes open. Slowly, the blurry world came into focus – and the events of the previous day came rushing back to him.

He jerked his body upwards, gasping for air as he sat upright. For the briefest of moments his eyes supplied convincing evidence that he was back in Gryffindor Tower, and for the rest of his brain to believe that the past several months – especially the part involving carrying the Dark Lord's baby – was all a terrifying nightmare.

"It wasn't a dream, Harry," a soft voice whispered from the left as if reading his mind.

With his racing heart beginning to calm Harry turned to look at his oldest friend.

Hermione had her back up against the headboard and she had drawn her knees close to her chest with her arms circled around her legs; she looked just as tired as he felt.

Suddenly, the truth of her words hit Harry: he really was pregnant with Voldemort's heir. He was also the man's prisoner in a home that looked and felt exactly like Hogwarts.

Harry shook his head.

"How did you sleep?"

Hermione's soft, brown eyes held Harry's gaze as she responded.

"Not bad, all things considered…" She managed to give a small but convincing smile.

"I'm glad we decided to stay in the same room, though. I don't think I would have managed being alone – even if it would have been right next door."

Harry nodded.

"It's a lot to wrap your head around that's for sure."

Harry then mimicked Hermione's position in the lone double bed, moving to sit next to her so closely that their shoulders were touching. The closeness of her body offered him comfort.

"I can hardly believe any of what happened in the past twenty-four or how ever many hours since discovering I was…" Harry paused and looked down at the small hallow between his stomach and this thighs.

"…Pregnant."

"I don't think that has quite settled into my head either," Hermione agreed, tipping her head to rest on Harry's shoulder.

"How do you think it happened, Hermione? I mean, how could he be the father?"

Hermione encircled her arms around Harry's left arm, continuing to rest her head against his shoulder.

"To be honest I have no idea. I don't think he knows either."

They sat in silence for a minute before Hermione lifted her head and turned to look at Harry, her chin now using Harry's shoulder for both support and the continued comfort that the closeness provided.

"You were brilliant yesterday, Harry. I'll admit I had no idea how we were going to get out of that. I thought for sure that we would be tortured and then killed."

Harry could hear the lasting fear of that situation in her voice as she continued speaking.

"But you saved us, played it brilliantly, in fact. At the time I was shocked to hear you speaking to her and to him like that, but from what I know about him I don't think you could have said anything better."

A small shiver went through her and she moved her head to rest against the velvet covering the headboard.

"Thank you, Harry."

Harry sighed and tilted his head forward, so that his chin was resting on the tip of his left knee.

"I just can't bear to think of any harm coming to the baby, Hermione. I would have said anything, I think, to try and save it."

Harry then twisted his neck slightly, so that he could see part of Hermione's face.

"Though, if anything, I should be the one both thanking and apologizing to you. I don't think I would have realized I was pregnant until much later… when it was obvious... when… "

Harry quickly moved past any thoughts about what the end stages of a male pregnancy entailed; he would worry about that later.

Hermione had the same idea, apparently, as she interrupted whatever he had been about to follow with.

"What do you have to apologize for?"

She sat upright and moved just far enough away so that they could fully see each other's faces.

"You wouldn't be trapped here – in Voldemort's home – if it wasn't for me."

Harry's voice was low and soft.

"Your life has always been in danger because of me."

"True," she agreed promptly and without blinking.

"But you keep forgetting that my life would be in danger with or," she emphasized with a pointed look, "without you. You you seem quite unable to grasp that fact. It's not like I would be able to wander around with zero chance of harm had I not come along with you."

But Hermione wasn't finished yet and Harry suddenly noticed that familiar expression in her eyes that tended to indicate he was about to get lectured.

"If you want to get technical then I would not even be here if it wasn't for you. I seem to recall that I would have probably been killed by a troll in first year had you and …," she couldn't bring herself to say his name, "not come along. So, for me, every little bit of life that I got to experience since then has been because of you. And I'm thankful for that, Harry. Truly."

Her forceful stare brooked no room for disagreement so in the end all Harry could do was nod and look away.

They sat in silence for a few more moments before Harry's stomach interrupted them.

The simple meal the elf had brought the night before after the Dark Lord had showed them to their rooms, which both of them had finished and then promptly passed out, had been over twelve hours ago.

Needless to say, they were both hungry and the elf did not disappoint when she brought them a very large breakfast after Harry had summoned her.

They moved to a small table on the other side of the room, each reaching for the delicious-looking pastries, jams, and fruit that they had gone without while living in the tent. The hot tea completed their meal and for the first time in a long while Harry put away enough calories for both him and the growing baby.

In fact, even though he was quite full at the end of the meal, he pocketed two extra scones to snack on.

It was a welcome change to the preceding weeks in which eating – and the surprisingly arduous task of keeping the food down – had become a chore.

So much so that he hadn't noticed the careful examination of Hermione's gaze as it passed from the elf to him to other areas around the room.

However, a full and content stomach couldn't forestall his mind from eventually wandering to other things as well.

"Do you think we are meant to stay in here or can we explore the rest of Voldemort's version of the castle?"

There was both wonder and sadness in his voice; for no matter how amazing this place was it was still the Dark Lord's home.

"Hmmm," Hermione thought for a moment.

"These bands are meant to keep us inside the wards of the property and he didn't mention anything about us having to remain in here exclusively. I think it would be appropriate for us to explore the more common areas of this miniature version of Hogwarts; though, I have no desire of getting close to wherever he sleeps – do you think that would be near where the Slytherin Common Room is?"

"I think that would be a fair guess," Harry nodded.

"Either that or the Headmaster's office. I wonder if the rest of this place is a copy of Hogwarts… however, I can't imagine it being different considering that so far he's just about nailed Gryffindor Tower. How do you suppose he knew what it looked like?"

Hermione simply shrugged.

"Tizzy!" Hermione then called in a change of pace.

The obedient elf appeared before Hermione had even finished her name.

"Yes, miss. What may Tizzy be doing for yous?"

Harry eyes darted between his friend and Voldemort's servant with a small bit of amusement. Hermione clearly wanted to know something that she hoped the elf would provide but at the same time he knew that she loathed the thought of a sentient creature being bound to follow orders.

"Tizzy, I was wondering if we would be able to walk outside our rooms in other parts of the castle and grounds… or if he has ordered us to stay here?"

"Lord Voldemort has not restricted yous to this room. As Tizzy be understanding things yous are bound to the property through Master's magic and may not leave." The elf pointed to the obsidian bracelet that sat on each of their wrists.

"Yous is should being able go where yous please – or else Master would have said something."

"Thank you, Tizzy." Hermione nodded at the elf.

"That'll be all."

The elf then popped away and Harry looked to Hermione with a playful smirk on his face.

"Well, what do you say? Care to take a stroll around Voldemort's house."

It felt just as weird to say it as it sounded in Hermione's ear.

Hermione sighed as she wondered how her life had gotten so confusing in such a short amount of time.

"Lead on!" She said in resignation, unable to stop the few, not-quite-hysterical giggles from following.

They helped to relieve some of the tension, at any rate.

Soon, Harry and Hermione had left their shared room and ventured into what was supposed to be styled after the Gryffindor Common Room.

They approached the door that left to the rest of the castle with slow and cautious steps. Ever the Gryffindor, Harry wasted little time in pushing the painting outwards, and when no Dark Lord or magical barrier preventing them from leaving appeared he walked out into the familiar hallway.

Hermione followed him out and the painting had just closed shut when a distinct hiss was heard.

"Nagini has been waiting for you," the large serpent said from a dark corner.

At once both Harry and Hermione grabbed a hold of each other and watched a long, dark shape uncurl itself from the corner and slither before them.

"What do you want?" Harry hissed back when his blood pressure returned to normal.

"Nagini has been instructed to show you to the library. Nagini is surprised that you worked up the courage to leave your rooms so quickly. She had half expected to be lying in wait for a week."

Harry could have sworn there was a hint of amusement in her voice, and it relaxed him. Hermione, on the other hand, couldn't say the same on account of not understanding a word that was being said. She remembered how powerless she had felt in the great serpent's coils and knew how easily the snake could kill her and she hadn't even begun to consider her menacing fangs.

"Well, there was no point in just staying there seeing as how we can't leave the property." Harry held up his wrist, the black bracelet catching the flickering flames of the torches providing light.

"Agreed." She hissed her pleasure with the boy's reasoning.

"Now then," she lifted her head to match Harry's height – something that did not help Hermione in the least.

"Master has provided books on providing for younglings in the womb in the library. Nagini will show you."

Then the great beast lowered her snout to Harry's stomach and flicked out her tongue against his shirt. Harry shivered and his hands reacted, placing themselves between his baby and the snake.

"Other speaker does not have to worry about Nagini." Harry could have sworn the snake was laughing at his actions.

"Other speaker carries Master's heir," her tongue flicked against his hands this time. "Nagini will do everything in her power to protect Master's youngling."

The snake then swerved around and began to undulate her large body from side to side to propel her forward.

Harry turned to Hermione and took her hand upon seeing some color begin to return to her cheeks.

"Nagini is leading us to the library, Hermione. Voldemort has left some books for us on on pregnancy. I would think that for the immediate future that is a very good thing."

More color returned to her face and she nodded, following Harry when his hand tugged her forward as they followed the snake.

Not that they really needed Nagini to guide them since the library, and the path there, was exactly the same as they were used to.

When they arrived at their destination Harry chanced a glance at his friend, which then necessitated him bringing up his free hand to cover his mouth.

For Hermione's eyes had almost comically enlarged and was looking around Voldemort's personal library like that Disney Princess had from one of Dudley's videos that Harry had watched while the rest of his family were away.

And just like Belle, Harry could see that Hermione suddenly didn't find her current predicament as bad as it had been moments before.

"The books for other speaker and the youngling he carries are over here," Nagini guided them to a table that looked just like the one Hermione liked to frequent when studying.

"Thanksss," Harry said for the both of them as Hermione quickly looked through the many titles that the Dark Lord had provided for the care of Harry's baby.

Nagini just nodded and slipped away, going back to doing whatever large and deadly snakes like her preferred to be doing when they weren't carrying out orders from their evil masters.

"This is unbelievable," Hermione breathed.

She had quickly fingered through the first several pages of a tome devoted exclusively to the care of pregnant males and their infants.

When some of the shock and giddiness wore off she stopped skimming to lift her eyes to Harry.

"This is all so weird," she finally said.

"First, his home looking like it does and now this. I can't believe that you and I are in his house and reading books that he has personally provided for us."

For a minute it looked like her mind was threatening to buckle underneath the thoughts she was having.

"Books that I'm supposed to read to take care of you and the baby. Your baby. His baby!"

Harry nodded along, knowing exactly where she was coming from. "Yep, and if that's what we have to do to stay alive, so that the baby stays alive, then so be it."

Harry clearly was not allowing himself to dwell on the hilarities of fate that had made this all possible. Not outwardly, at any rate.

He was too busy feeling thankful to be alive and for once not feeling nauseated at the thought of or experience of eating. His life had always been atypical and full of unusual circumstances. To him, this was no different from his experience with a Basilisk or going back in time to fight off a hundred Dementors or living under constant threat of Voldemort trying to murder him.

In fact, the current situation was practically pedestrian by his standards since said Dark Lord was now providing a safe environment for Harry and his unborn child.

"Besides, Hermione," he said the next bit aloud – more for her benefit than anything.

"The baby has six more months until it gets here. That means we have six more months before the status quo chances. I'm sure we will be able to think of something before then."

Hermione took a deep breath and centered herself.

"Only you, Harry." She muttered half teasingly and half deadly serious.

"Only you."

* * *

The next week passed in a similar and easy manner. Each morning Harry and Hermione would wake in their shared bed to a delightful meal that Tizzy brought. Hermione would eye Harry closely to make sure he was eating everything that he was supposed to – and was very happy to see that his previous bouts of Morning Sickness had not made a return.

After breakfast the pair would take turns in the bathroom before dressing in clothes that Tizzy provided before heading down to the library to read through another book on pregnancy and all of the pitfalls that they needed to watch out for. To her surprise, Harry seemed just as interested in the material as she was for once.

Though, even she was aware that while her desire to learn everything there was to know was out of a very real fear to make sure that nothing bad happened to the baby – or herself seeing as how the Dark Lord had charged her with keeping his heir healthy. Harry's rapid intake of the material was likely because he wanted to understand everything he could out of a desire to appropriately provide for the growing wizard or witch inside of him.

In fact, it was all Hermione could do not to comment on the way Harry would look at his stomach when he thought no one was looking. The tender look in his eyes as he softly ran his hands over his stomach nearly caused her heart to explode. In her mind Harry was going to be a great parent, and she really hoped that they would survive this so that he could be one.

They typically lingered in the library through lunch, snacking on sandwiches and the like as Hermione and Harry absorbed everything that had anything to do with what the future would hold.

Of course, sometimes Harry's attention would stray from the more medically-inclined texts to the ones that focused solely on the magic involved in male pregnancies; however, he had yet to find anything that satisfactorily explained the now noticeable – though still quite small – bump.

One thing that both Harry and Hermione were appreciative of as the days passed by was that they had not seen the Dark Lord again. Neither one were willing to say it out-loud in case that jinxed anything but without seeing Voldemort they could thoroughly pretend that they were back at Hogwarts.

Because that was far simpler and easier than spending too much time thinking about how they were in fact prisoners in the home of the greatest dark wizard that had ever lived.

On this particular day, Harry decided that mid afternoon was the perfect time for another stroll outside. He had always enjoyed his walks around the lake at Hogwarts and he was pleasantly surprised to have found a similarly shaped one, albeit many times smaller, within the wards that they couldn't leave.

Complete with exotic squid and all.

The fresh and chilly air felt good against Harry's face, and he relished the warmth that wrapping his heavy cloak around him provided. His fingers were clasped tightly in the front, holding the cloak close to him while the late sun was blazing downwards.

Hermione chose that moment to look at her friend and the light of the sun caused the transfigured ring on Harry's hand to sparkle and catch her eye.

"Oh Harry," she breathed and walked to his side at once.

"With everything else going on I completely forgot about…," and then her mouth shut and she looked around nervously.

Harry turned to look at her.

"What, Hermione; what is it?"

"The ring, Harry," she whispered and placed her hand over his.

"You've been carrying it around for over a week; it should be my turn to wear it."

Harry then looked down and withdrew his hand from Hermione's embrace.

"I'd completely forgotten about it," he said as if he were surprised.

"At any rate, I really think it's my turn to have it."

She extended her hand and held out her palm.

In a slow and more deliberate effort than what was required, Harry fingered the ring and slid it off his finger. He felt its absence immediately; he had gotten so used to it on his finger in the past week that he had forgotten about it completely.

In fact, he now felt the wrongness of it not being on his finger so strongly that his hand froze in place on its way to give the ring to Hermione.

But Hermione hadn't noticed any of his internal deliberations or his external hesitancies. Her hand reached for the ring and plucked it out of his grasp.

She had just eased it over the distal and medial interphalangeal digital creases on her index finger when she heard a most unwelcome sound.

Her neck snapped towards the eerie sound and a gasped sound of terror left her lips as she watched Harry fall to the ground, clutching his stomach in agony.

"Harry!" She screamed.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She cried, kneeling down to be by his side.

Her hands shot outwards in an attempt to both provide comfort and to understand what the problem was.

"Arghhhh," Harry mumbled though gritted teeth.

"It… hurts…" he whispered.

Hermione was at a loss for how to proceed; without her wand she felt helpless.

Tears began to brim as he saw how much pain Harry was in.

Her hands were frantically trying to inspect Harry's stomach and sides, and, again, it was the angle of the sunlight reflecting off the ring that gave her pause once more.

She couldn't help the shocked realization that left her lips.

"Of course!" She breathed as she hurriedly ripped the ring off her index finger and jammed it onto one of Harry's curled fingers.

She was relieved to see his body stilling, the only sound filling her ears were his attempts at steadying his breathing and the rustle of the wind pushing the leaves through the air.

"It's the ring, Harry," she said without her usual awareness of both the topic and where she was.

"You have to keep it on you… the Horcrux!"

Her eyes then widened in shock when she realized what she had said and her eyes darted around, terrified that she had given that information away so freely.

But the area was deserted and so she returned her attention to Harry.

Their eyes met and an unspoken understanding passed between them.

Somehow, someway, the baby needed to be in contact with the Horcrux hidden inside the transfigured ring.

Or else Harry would suffer the withdrawal.

The realization was like ice had been poured in their veins.

Their life had just become that much more difficult, and each silently said a prayer to whatever god that would listen to keep that information from the Dark Lord.

But, like as it often was in Harry's life, fate had other plans.

Because crimson eyes had been watching from the the Dark Lord's study, eyes that were now extremely interested in the significance of the ring that the Boy Who Lived could not seemingly be without.

* * *

**I debated on where to end it but that seemed like a good place to me! Next chapter will have much more interaction between Voldie and Harry. Again, sorry for the delay!**


	6. Explanations

**AN**: Here we go with another chapter and a significant interaction between Harry/Voldie. I've learned my lessons with making any promises towards a regular updating scheduling so all I will say is that I hope that this momentum keeps up.

**JK still owns everything last time I checked**.

* * *

Neither Harry nor Hermione felt like doing much that night. Not after the realization that the baby growing in Harry's belly somehow needed, no required, to be in constant contact with the Horcrux that Harry had previously transfigured into a simple, silver signet ring. One that he had made moments after learning that Voldemort, his parent's killer, had somehow managed to get him pregnant.

Harry had lost count of how many times one person had so spectacularly been able to muck up his life.

Even the small act of looking at the ring that adorned his left index finger as he sat next to the fireplace in the faux Gryffindor Common Room was threatening the limit of what he could adequately process.

Because, once again, this was something else that both him and Hermione would now have to take into account. Not only did they need to try and attempt to survive their imprisonment with the Dark Lord but they had to do so with one of his Horcruxes being out in broad daylight. And without their wands because those had been taken by the Snatchers.

But that didn't mean that they couldn't do anything.

"Here Harry," Hermione said, giving into an action that reason required was the best possible choice for the pair of them going foreword.

Harry looked up from where he had been staring at the reflection of the flames within the silver band to Hermione's outstretched palm that held a simple and very thin gold chain.

At once Harry knew where she was going with this, and not for the last time did his heart swell with having someone like her in his life.

"Hermione, I can't take this," Harry's sighed softly, his hands moving to engulf and then close her fingers around the chain.

"Ron gave this to you to wear for Bill and Fleur's wedding, to express… it just wouldn't be right…" Harry trailed off.

No matter his feelings over Ron's abandonment – in this moment his loyalty and gratitude towards Hermione was vastly more important.

"You must," Hermione said, ignoring Harry's previous actions at declining her gift and forcing the chain into Harry's palm. "It's the best chance, our best chance, of keeping…" she paused suddenly.

Her eyes grew wider, laced with fear.

She glanced around, the pupils in her eyes dilated wide because of who – or what – may have been listening in on their conversation.

Any tears that might have been threatening to spill over in painful remembrance of what Ron's gift had symbolized to her had been quickly pushed aside, and she wasn't alone with her thinking.

Harry quickly clamped his fingers down on the chain and drew it close to his body.

Several uneasy minutes passed where they both feared that someone had overheard their conversation. The seconds ticked by and when no indication that a response of any kind was coming, they both felt that they could finally begin breathing normally again.

As they slowly returned to what the new normal of their present situation was, Harry stealthily unclipped the gold chain and guided the thin metal strand through the transfigured silver ring that was once Hermione's bag, and, most importantly, contained one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes.

He then drew the chain around his neck and fastened the gold clips together, letting the ring drop under his shirt where they hoped it would be hidden from Voldemort's notice.

Feeling unusually drained by the past few minutes and the entire day in general, a house elf was then summoned to provide a simple meal. They ate it in silence, and after taking turns in the bathroom they soon settled into bed.

Harry drifted off to sleep almost instantly – his tired body taking advantage of whatever opportunity it could to regain some of the strength the past few weeks had whittled away. Hermione, meanwhile, not having another resource-demanding entity growing inside her body propped herself against the backboard to read the latest book on male pregnancy.

But her mind just couldn't seem to focus and she remained on the same paragraph, reading it over and over again but getting nowhere. Eventually, she sighed in annoyance at her lack of concentration and closed the book. She kept holding it across her chest, however, not able to fully shake away that nagging feeling in her mind that she had overlooked something. Something important, something that she should be taking into account.

And so she fell into a fitful sleep, her mind never fully giving way to a restful sleep.

When she awoke the next morning she felt like she hadn't slept at all. But the sun was streaming in through the windows and that meant another opportunity to make progress on learning everything she would need to know about her friend's baby.

So she got up and performed her morning ablutions. Upon returning to the bedroom she saw that Harry had also gotten up and was now sitting in front of their usual breakfast spread.

"Good morning, Harry," she mustered in her usual, get-right-down-to-business-and-everything-will-be-all-right attitude.

"Morn'n Mione," Harry said back through a mouthful of scones.

She made a half-hearted attempt at rolling her eyes over the very horrible manners he had picked up over the years from a certain red head that she preferred not to think about at this moment.

Instead, her mild annoyance had been tempered by her satisfaction with Harry's increased appetite and renewed ability to keep his food down compared to his previous, month-long bout with morning sickness.

"How do you feel?" She asked, sitting down to join him and helping herself to a steaming cup of tea.

"Slowly starting to feel like my old self again."

He sat back in his chair and bit contently into another scone smeared with jam.

Hermione considered herself an expert in understanding speech from someone actively chewing through a mouthful of food, so when Harry kept talking her ears didn't miss a beat.

"Aside from finally having a stomach that can tolerate food again, life is just about the same that it's always been."

He swallowed and then took another bite.

"My life continues to be dictated by Voldemort in some way shape or form. Though, to be honest I doubt how fate will be able to top this one. I mean, how is next year going to top carrying his child? What, are we going to get married or something – that will surely throw a wrench into that stupid prophecy!" He said rather humurously.

Hermione thought he was taking this rather in stride – none of his famous temper was present or even bubbling beneath the surface. It was as if Harry was talking about something he had heard through the Hogwarts gossip mill and not something that was completely life altering and reality bending and dominated his life so spectacularly.

If anything, it was clear that Harry was tired of his life always being a struggle and had somehow accepted that fate seemed to not want to rid him of the Dark Lord for the foreseeable future.

"At least I don't think he isn't actively trying to kill me right now, so I think that is a positive development. At least for the next few months at any rate."

After he swallowed down the last of his food his head titled downward and his right hand traced the outlines of the tiniest little bump protruding from his stomach.

It was such a simple motion, but Hermione could see how utterly captivated and in love Harry was with whatever was growing inside of him.

A good five minutes of silence passed in this manner, with Harry looking longingly at his gut and Hermione thoughtfully chewing through her own breakfast.

"I just want he or she to be happy Hermione. To grow up in a way that I never did – to know love at all moments of its life. To feel wanted, accepted."

He turned to look at her then, his green eyes shinning as brightly as they ever had.

"If something happens to me here… if for some reason that I'm not able to make it out of here with my baby I need to know that it will be okay."

Upon seeing the implication of his statement register in Hermione's brown eyes he quickly added, "of course, I am going to do everything in my power to get out of here too but if for some reason I can't…"

Though, just thinking about not being there to watch his baby grow suddenly caused his throat to constrict and his eyes to become wet.

Was this how his mum had felt that night when she sacrificed herself so that he could survive Voldemort? Not that he would hesitate for a moment to protect his child, to give them every chance to succeed and flourish – but the mere thought of not being there for them, even if it was for their own survival was almost too much to process.

It didn't matter that it was a given that he would do anything for his child, to give them whatever shot of happiness to live their own lives that he could. But at the expense of never seeing how they grew, how they learned, how they loved – it was a sorrowful sensation that he was completely unfamiliar with.

To say that it was a complicated emotion was an understatement; though, he couldn't deny that in this moment he felt more connected to his mum than he ever had previously.

But Hermione understood, knew enough to know what her friend was asking.

"I promise, Harry," she whispered softly, reaching out to join his hands with hers.

"I'll do everything in my power to give this child," she looked downwards, though not able to see the bump through Harry's shirt but imagining it nonetheless, "a chance."

The tears finally spilled down Harry's face. But he tried to smile through those happy tears anyways.

"Thanks, Hermione. I guess this would make you the baby's Godmother then?"

For once Hermione was incapable of words, and leaned forward into Harry's arms to hug him tightly.

Who would have thought that one of the happiest moments of Hermione Granger's life – being asked to be the Godmother of the child of her best friend – would happen inside the home of Lord Voldemort.

Life certainly worked in mysterious ways. Life, it seemed, was just full of surprises this morning, for in the next moment a squeak from the other side of the room reminded them that they weren't entirely alone in this eery replica of Hogwarts.

"Pardons me, Harry and Hermiones."

The pair separated from the shock interruption of their beautiful and heartfelt moment, but their surprise soon wore off when they realized it was only Tizzy.

"Is there anything Tizzy can be getting master's guests?" No doubt the elf was aware it had interrupted something in the course of being the good and faithful house elf that she prided herself in being.

"No, you just startled us is all," Harry explained, sipping at the corner of his eyes.

Hermione, however, was suddenly aware of the fact that the elf had never appeared to them without being called. The implications of which her mind was furiously trying to understand, something that she didn't get to ponder because in the next instant the elf spoke again.

"Tizzy is being sent my Master Voldemort to invite the pairses of yous to dine with him tonight. Dinner will be served sharply at eight," Tizzy squeaked out.

Just like how their happiness had given way to shock and then acceptance upon the elf's arrival, their faces had now reversed course and were firmly settling on shock.

The elf left them several minutes later when both Hermione and Harry had recovered enough to verbally accept the Dark Lord's dinner plans.

But that did not mean that they were okay with it. Far from it, in fact, and no matter how much they spent the day trying to distract themselves by reading through their planned pregnancy materials they just couldn't.

Their brains just couldn't process the apparent fact that the Dark Lord - who had been trying to kill Harry since before he was born had just formally – and by his standards politely – invited them to a common social interaction usually shared by acquaintances, friends, and family members.

It was one thing to live in his house and never see the man – because out of sight was truly out of mind. It was similar to know that Harry was carrying the man's child because that child would not be raised by Voldemort if Harry could help it and so out of sight and out of mind.

However, it was an entirely different thing altogether to have a formalized date and time in which they were going to be in the Dark Lord's presence. Not only did that negate the very good effort in the denial of the above items with their out of sight philosophy, but that was an entirely different change of pace than what Harry was used to.

Because previously, his interactions with the Dark Lord had been random and always involved the man trying to kill him through various cockamamie schemes. Now though, he had to sit through an entire day knowing that it would end in the man's presence – over dinner no less.

Should he look to bring a weapon? Should they try to escape? Well, they had been trying but those bracelets were stubborn and secured tightly to their wrists by magic. His magic. And they didn't even have their wands.

Needless to say, the entire day was a complete wash and by the time eight o'clock rolled around their nerves were well and truly shot.

Both Hermione and Harry stood outside the doors to the Great Hall, having been led there by Tizzy. This was it; beyond those doors was the Dark Lord.

If it hadn't been for Tizzy, the two Gryffindors may never have summoned their house's bravery and courage to actually open and then go through the door. But the elf was there and Tizzy was a good house elf. Her master had said that dinner would be served at eight o'clock sharp and she would not disobey him.

"Master Voldemort is being right through heres," the elf squeaked, practically pushing them into the Great Hall.

The sight of the Dark Lord caused the pair to swallow their thumping hearts back into their chest. The buildup to this moment, having spent the entire day festering and growing with increasing dread and worry inside their minds, did not prepare them for this.

It was worse.

They had expected to have been greeted by the ominous and evil-looking snake face. But that visage was no where to be seen.

Instead, as Harry and Hermione walked towards the lone table – about a quarter of the length of the hall – they were confronted by an enigma.

"Tizzy is bringing Master's guests as ordered," the elf presented the pair.

The suddenly normal-looking and indeed even attractive Dark Lord nodded to the elf and then turned his attention towards the pair, quite enjoying the gaped expressions on their faces.

"Sit," he commanded in a rich, warm voice that sounded nothing like the last time he had spoken to them.

Without a second thought, the pair took their seats across from each other but on the opposite end of the table from where the Dark Lord was holding court in for what all intents and purposes looked to be his throne.

One look to the elf was all Tizzy needed to begin dinner service; however, neither Harry nor Hermione had yet come to terms with a Dark Lord that looked like that.

Dark brown hair sat atop a head that was perfectly aristocratic with well-defined features and a strong jaw line. For Harry, it was exactly how he imagined a twenty-five year old Tom Riddle to look like based on what he remembered of the man's Horcrux within the Diary. To say that the Dark Lord was handsome, by any definition of the term, was an understatement.

It just didn't do the man justice.

The change was so drastic, in Harry's mind, that he couldn't help but comment on it.

Of course, he really didn't know what else to say the man who killed his parents and had somehow gotten him pregnant.

"Well, you look different," he blurted out. But it was what he said next that was truly spectacular.

"You have a nose again."

Which had the immediate effect of causing Hermione to stop breathing as she couldn't believe that her friend had done something so characteristically Harry as to state-the-obvious to a very bad, no-good, Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord, however, was unaffected by the comment, at least as he appeared to them.

He simply leaned back into his chair and took a gratifying sip of a very bold and full-bodied, red wine.

"Your observational skills are second to none, Potter. If you must know, this is how I truly look."

It was then that Harry's mind finally caught up to the present and he realized what he had said, and then his face took on a distinct reddish tinge.

Of course, not to be outdone, Hermione's analytical mind just couldn't resist asking a follow-up question.

For one, the gears in her mind were now working overtime, and since the Dark Lord seemed not to be in a killing or curse-happy mood she figured why not. In for a penny in for a pound was what her mother always said.

"Excuse me, sir – Lord V-Voldemort…" she stuttered not knowing how to address him.

She continued when the man's facial expression remained unchanged.

"If that is how you truly look then how come the paternity spell showed your other…" less human face was what she wanted to say but instead of asking for an early death she simply trailed off.

The Dark Lord eyed her carefully. Indeed, she was a very bright witch.

"And thus brings us to why I have summoned you this evening. For after getting over the shock that you," he gave a pointed look at the boy, "were carrying my heir, I too wondered about that very same thing."

If one had thought that the Dark Lord's now beautiful face was incapable of striking the same fear into someone's heart that Voldemort could then they were quickly set straight for in the next instance the man's lips set into a thin line and specks of molten crimson fluttered in his eyes.

"Indeed, that particular spell reveals what the parents looked like at the exact moment that the child was conceived, and I only regained my ability to transform back into my original form again when I was reborn in the graveyard. Thank you for that by the way, Harry; I had sacrificed that ability to go back and forth between my Voldemort persona with a certain ritual… but no matter I found a loophole after all."

Both Harry and Hermione inched backwards into their chair in response to the devilish grin that snaked its way onto the man's beautiful face. It was both mesmerizing and terrifying.

"However, there is only one thing I can think of that led to this current predicament."

"Tell me," Voldemort continued as Tizzy brought in the first course, "how long have you known about my Horcruxes?"

Hermione's squeak and the widening of Harry's eyes belied their half-hearted attempt at denial.

"What… we don't… I mean what are Horcruxes?" Harry tried lamely.

"Do not lie to Lord Voldemort!" the Dark Lord threatened with the added oppressive weight of his magic flitting about the room around them.

"I know that you know … because how else would this whole pregnancy thing have happened otherwise? Believe me, I would quite remember had I bedded the Boy Who Lived in the last few months."

Now, however, Harry and Hermione didn't need to feign their surprise.

Harry's eyes continued to widen but Hermione's face took on a very thoughtful expression. She so loved problems.

The tension in the room was momentarily broken by the elf's subsequent announcement.

"French Onion soup is being had for the first course," Tizzy squeaked, committed to being the most faithful servant to her master and guests.

But the tension came right back when the elf popped away, leaving an eerie silence.

"Shall I explain how such a thing is possible or is this something that you already know or Merlin-forbid, planned?" The Dark Lord's icy tone chilled the room even further.

Hermione was convinced that she and Harry were done for and she had absolutely no appetite whatsoever. From where she sat she could see Harry's arms encircling his stomach in a protective manner, and she spoke for the pair of them when she nodded to Voldemort.

"We … don't know … how this happened…" her timid voice responded.

An unreadable expression quickly passed over the Dark Lord's features.

"I'll assume that you are both intimately familiar then with the concept of a Horcrux – that will make all of this easier to explain and work through."

There was a cold fury in his voice and Hermione saw no other path forward than to simply nod her head.

"Would I also be correct in thinking that it was that old meddling fool, Dumbledore, that clued you into their existence?"

Hermione again tipped her head forward in a silent acknowledgement.

"That's what I thought – I just how knew the man had guessed about the incident with the Chamber of Secrets. Believe me, Lucius was severely punished to within an inch of his life for daring to cast something so precious of mine so recklessly into the public sphere…"

The soup sat untouched in front of the former Gryffindors; however, the Dark Lord focused on his bowl while his eyes cooled. No one spoke another word until the Dark Lord had swallowed the last remaining drop of his first course; an otherwise normal action that somehow seemed to make their situation all that more ominous.

His spoon was dropped into the empty bowl, and his smoldering eyes looked up upon the pair.

"Eat," he instructed, demonstrating just with a glance how much power he truly wielded – magical or not.

Immediately, the pair hastily started to make their way through their, and by this time, lukewarm soup under the weight of the Dark Lord's Stare.

"If you had thought that I had wanted you dead for knowing my most guarded secret, you would have already been dealt with. But, ever since I returned to a body I have been a bit more cautious in acting too soon. For instance, why should I worry that you know about my secret to immortality when you are prevented from leaving? In my youth I may have acted more impetuously but age and circumstance," again, he gave a hard stare at the raven-haired wizard, "has given me a great deal of perspective."

At this point Harry was just amazed that he was able to get a majority of the broth into his mouth without it spilling down his shirt. That was how bad his bottom lip wanted to quiver.

For he had never imagined that having a conversation with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could be so civil.

"But I digress, let's return to the topic at hand."

The look in his burgundy eyes was almost predatory.

"When I first learned about the destruction of my diary Horcrux I was quite enraged. And with good reason, for not only did my enemy discover my secret that tethered me to this plane of existence, but that fragment of soul is now forever lost to me."

Harry swallowed the thick lump forming in his throat.

"Yes, Harry, I know it was you. Though, from where I sit now, even I can concede that we have probably evened things out – I took your parents, your childhood and you killed a part of my soul."

Harry focused all of his might on staring forward, not trusting his body to openly disagree with the Dark Lord's view that they were in any way square with what had happened in the past.

"No matter," the Dark Lord moved on, "I was young when I made my first one – very young. I had a purpose, an intent when I killed that insufferable crying girl – and I didn't protect that one like I protected the others I had made."

"And by the time I had learned about its destruction several years had already passed… so what could I do?"

His question lingered in the air as he took another pause to finish his wine. The empty glass then hit the table and the elf appeared once more. A quick snap of her fingers found their bowls removed and a second measure of wine poured into Voldemort's crystal chalice.

"For our main course," the elf presented as if this was perfectly normal dinner conversation and ambience, "is a mushroom risotto with shaved fennel and roasted asparagus accompanied by seared salmon."

If Hermione had been anywhere else, her mouth would have watered when the delectable aroma hit her nose. Risotto was one of her mother's specialties and the look and smell of what had been placed before her looked to be even better than what she had remembered her mother able to prepare.

But she was in the presence of the Dark Lord, who not only knew they they were aware of his Horcruxes, but that she honestly didn't know whether or not tonight would be her last. She just couldn't trust anything at this point.

When the elf departed, Voldemort took a small mouthful, and then washed it down with another sip from his glass. The stain on his lips was now the same color of his eyes, Harry thought before quickly shaking his head of that thought, wondering where it had come from and why he had been staring at the man's mouth.

"However, last year was when I knew without a doubt that Dumbledore had discovered my secret. I have eyes everywhere and the damage to his hand could only have been caused by one curse – something of my own design."

A wicked and satisfied gleam of molten crimson passed through his eyes, perfectly showcasing the beauty that his dark red eyes possessed.

"Though it pains me to have lost another part of my soul, I do consider the death of Albus Dumbledore to be a fair exchange for it. Of course, upon learning that he was onto my secret, I took the necessary action to reclaim my other Horcruxes and place them here."

Voldemort took another bite of his dinner, this time forgoing the wine to delicately cut the asparagus into quarters before pairing one with a small portion of salmon.

When he swallowed, the Dark Lord looked up and gazed upon their silent and uneasy faces. He so relished the look of dread and fear that he was able to cause.

"Except, there was one Horcrux that I could not retrieve. A Horcrux that I had hidden before either of you were even conceived. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was missing."

Now it was Hermione's turn to swallow back the bile rising in her throat; she knew where this was headed – but she was also confused.

"Not that I am a betting man – I find no pleasure in gambling on a mere probability – but given what I know I am fairly inclined to acknowledge that perhaps you had come across a small, silver locket. Harry, by any chance did you wear such a thing around your neck?"

Voldemort was feeling very in control, having likely deduced how the boy had ended up pregnant with his, or rather one of his soul fragment's spawn.

"Though it isn't very common, sometimes, long term contact with a Horcrux can lead to possession – like what happened with my diary. And though it is even rarer, it could, in theory I suppose, lead to pregnancy."

Harry's eyes shot up. He had both heard and understood what the Dark Lord had said but that still didn't make any sense. The Horcrux transfigured within his ring still held the fragment of the man's soul. He was sure of it, he could feel it, even now, pulsating against his chest and providing an unexpected comfort to his baby.

Unless… that was why he needed to be close to the Horcrux, for his baby… because what the man had said was true. That Slytherin's Locket had gotten him pregnant.

But then the Dark Lord said, "and to think, of all the known ways to destroy a Horcrux, who would have guessed that unwanted pregnancy would be one."

'Well shit,' Harry thought, there went that idea.

From the look in Hermione's eyes, apparently she had come to the same conclusion.

"It destroys the Horcrux?" Hermione spoke up, not daring to look at the Dark Lord directly.

"Completely, and utterly, I would hazard a guess. The soul merges with a part of the person it is in contact with and forms a fetus, leading us to…" his glance passed over to Harry.

"But that doesn't make any sense," Hermione's problem-solving mind giving her confidence to speak a little louder, "that Horcrux is fine."

Only, this wasn't some difficult problem to be solved during class. This was very much a matter of life and death and she had slipped up. She could have kicked herself and even as Harry's pained and disbelieving green orbs rose to meet hers she could feel the heat of the Dark's Lord gaze on her skin.

"Show me the Locket!" Voldemort commanded, the temperature in the room beginning to plummet.

"Please," came Harry's voice at once.

"Don't take it," he pleaded while opening up his shirt to show the transfigured ring and briefly explaining how it had come to be before the Snatchers took them to Malfoy Manor.

"The baby needs it!" Harry then rose defiantly in his chair to face the Dark Lord who had also gotten up from his chair and had begun to make his way towards him.

The man's large but delicate hands fingered the ring while Harry continued his plea by clamping his hands down firmly around the Dark Lord's to hold them in place.

However, his continued plea died on his lips from the moment that his skin came into contact with the father of his child. A feeling, so much like the electric tingle and comfort that the Horcrux provided – but amplified a thousand fold – shot through his system. Judging by the startled expression of the Dark Lord he too had felt the same. It was only Lord Voldemort's decades of experience with holding himself together during the myriad dark rituals that he had enacted allowed his legs to keep from buckling.

Unfortunately, Harry, whose body was only just recovering didn't have the strength to remain upright unsupported and his knees gave way.

Hermione could only watch with an open mouth as her friend was caught and then steadied by their captor, one very handsome and evil Dark Lord.

They were all frozen for countless seconds – Hermione because she couldn't believe what she was witnessing, while the pair across from her were still adjusting to the unnatural but familiar and powerful sensation coursing through their veins.

It was Harry, however, who in thinking about his baby, was the first one to find his voice.

"Please, Voldemort, let me have this, for the baby. Because however the baby became to be… the baby needs it, requires it."

Harry's verdant eyes were shinning brightly, desperately pleading with the human before him whose darkened expression held the fate of his child.

Normally, the Dark Lord would not have tolerated anyone to survive who knew what his Horcruxes were, not to mention carrying it around on their person.

However, a few very important things were staying his hand. For one, he had seen what had happened the previous day when Harry had fallen and now understood that what the boy had said about the baby needing to be in contact with the Horcrux was true.

Second was the fact that he had already decided that his child would be born. Because, if he were being honest with himself, he wasn't completely confident that the child was not a Horcrux given what he knew about Soul Magic. Though, that was something he would have to spend much more time thinking about since if that was the case then the child would also tie Harry Potter of all people to this world as well.

However, it was the third, and most important item that really prevented him from reacting prematurely.

If the Locket was still intact, and he could feel the faint hum of his soul despite his contact with the Boy Who Loved, he was now at a complete loss with how the boy had gotten pregnant. Every other Horcrux of his had been accounted for.

But then he remembered the girl and the way that her eyes had been seemingly on the verge of calculating something before she had realized her error with mentioning that the Locket was intact, and his head snapped in her direction.

"You!" He nearly caused Hermione to go into cardiac arrest with both the suddenness and the force of his command.

"You know something – I saw that look in your eyes."

The Dark Lord released his hold over Harry, acting for the briefest of moments like he regretted the loss of skin-to-skin contact, but nonetheless willing his imposing figure to march around the table to stand before the girl.

Harry used the table to steady himself and watched as his friend was grabbed roughly by the shoulders, as her face was brought to within inches of Voldemort's.

The Dark Lord's mental assault upon the girl was quick and thorough, he didn't have the time to cause the pain or torture that he preferred to leave behind.

In a matter of moments though he had seen enough, piecing together the clues far quicker than she would have been able to.

He withdrew from her mind and released her, leaving her to catch her breath and calm her heart rate from the ordeal of being within inches of a possible death.

The Dark Lord then walked up to the boy and turned Harry's face upwards, this time ignoring the delicious sensation that began to pulse through his body, trickling down his spine to pool deep within his gut.

Flaring, crimson eyes, now shed completely of any reddish brown examined the dull scar that everyone associated with the Boy Who Lived and that night.

Then the Dark Lord closed his eyes and concentrated on using whatever unnaturalness could connect their minds. This time Voldemort held nothing back in his attempted assault; he needed to be sure.

And when he could not penetrate the mind of Harry Potter using that link he knew he had found his answer.

His eyes then opened wide but he continued holding onto the boy's head. His burning eyes meeting the most beautiful green he had ever seen.

Shaking himself of that thought and overwhelmed by their connection and confounding circumstances he released Harry once more. He watched as the boy fell back, this time using a chair to steady himself before he turned on his heels and made for the door.

"Tizzy!" He barked stopping at the door.

The elf popped beside him at once.

"Make sure they continue to have everything they need."

He didn't even stay to watch the elf bow low, before walking out of the room.

The elf then scurried over to the table, using her elf magic to reheat and reset the table while Harry exhaled several breaths that he did not know how long he had been holding.

He had no idea what had just happened, and he looked to Hermione to see if she could add anything.

And she could. Because while the Dark Lord had been testing the connection that allowed their minds to peak into the other's, Hermione had also put the pieces together – albeit slower than the Dark Lord had.

"You had an unexpected Horcrux inside you, Harry. It was in your scar."

Stunned, Harry gingerly reached up and ran his hand across the familiar pattern that he had all but forgotten about these past few months. It was easy now to see the truth of it. In fact, it explained so much. So much about his past that he needed to sit down as the realization fully hit him.

He didn't hear Hermione walk over to him but soon he felt her arms around him, holding him tightly.

His mind was focusing on too much to care about his surroundings. After all, now he knew that he had become pregnant by having been an unknown Horcrux for the majority of his life. One of his questions had finally been answered but now he had others. Like what had happened when the Dark Lord had touched him and, most importantly, why his parent's killer had made it a point to instruct the elf to continue to care for him and his baby?

* * *

**I realize there was a lot of information in this and there is still more to come – but thought it was a good place to stop. How was it?**


End file.
